The invention relates to pieces of furniture in general, and more particularly to improvements in display counters of the type used in supermarkets, butcher shops, pastry shops and similar establishments to cool and display foodstuffs and/or other commodities for the benefit of shoppers and/or browsers. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in display counters of the type wherein a case has a lower section supporting an at least partially hollow upper section which has a front or customer side and a rear or service side. The upper section has a first panel which can be called a counter top and a second panel which is preferably a panoramic window and is disposed at the customer side to allow for observation of goods in the interior of the case. As a rule, the second panel is pivotable about a horizontal axis so that it affords access to the interior of the upper section of the case from the customer side, e.g., in order to facilitate refilling of the counter with goods and/or to facilitate cleaning of the interior of the hollow upper section.
It is known to mount the second panel of the hollow upper section of the case for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis defined by hinges at the front ends of horizontal arms which form part of the skeleton frame of the upper section of the case and extend forwardly from the service side toward the customer side. The first panel rests on the arms and the second panel is pivotable to and from a raised position in which it can afford access to the interior of the upper section of the case from the customer side. It is also known to employ a prime mover, particularly a fluid-operated motor, which can be actuated to move, or to facilitate manual movement of, the second panel to its raised position As a rule, the motor is a pneumatic cylinder and piston unit. One end portion of the cylinder and piston unit is articulately connected to the arm, and the other end portion of such unit is articulately connected to the hinge which pivotably secured the second panel to the front end portion of the arm.
A display counter of the aboveoutlined type is described in German Utility Model No. 75 04 892.9. The hinge which connects the upper marginal portion of the second panel of the upper section of the case to its arm is located at a level beneath the arm. When the second panel is maintained in its normal or operative position (in which it closes the upper section of the case at the customer side), the rail which is connected to the hinge and engages the adjacent marginal portion of the second panel is located below the arm and is disposed between the pintle of the hinge and the locus of pivotal connection of the cylinder and piston unit to the hinge. In such position of the second panel, the latter defines with the arm a clearance or gap which cannot be sealed, even in the operative position of the second panel, because such gap renders it possible to pivot the second panel between its operative and raised positions. The presence of a clearance between the front end portion of the arm and the upper marginal portion of the second panel is highly undesirable, even though it must be tolerated in conventional display counters, because the clearance allows for rapid contamination of the interior of the hollow upper section of the case and raises the energy requirements of the cooling system for foodstuffs in the interior of the case.
Another drawback of heretofore known display counters of the above outlined character is that the second panel must be maintained in the raised or inoperative position by specially designed locking or retaining means so as to prevent accidental lowering while an attendant is in the process of removing commodities from the case, of refilling the case with fresh commodities or of cleaning the interior of the case. Still further, the aforementioned cylinder and piston unit does not suffice to appreciably reduce the effort which is required to pivot the second panel to its raised position.